


My Friend, Will Byers, Is Not A Victim

by WillByersFan



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Good Friend Mike Wheeler, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Mike-Centric, POV Mike Wheeler, Protective Mike Wheeler, Season/Series 01, Season/Series 02, Self Confidence Issues, Survivor Guilt, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler Fight, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler Friendship, Will Byers Has Powers, Will Byers Needs a Hug, Will Byers-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 12,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28254564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillByersFan/pseuds/WillByersFan
Summary: This story is from Mike's point of view and goes over the first two seasons and my other story, called: I, Will Byers, Am Not A Victim, but from his point of view instead of Will's. This emphasizes their friendship, their perceptions, and how they conquered their demons.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Kudos: 7





	1. Introduction

My name is Mike Wheeler. I am 13 years old and I live in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana with my family that includes my parents, my older sister, Nancy, and my little sister, Holly, who will be starting kindergarten at the start of the next school year. Less than two years ago, life was peaceful, but kind of boring. I've never been the popular kid in school or even anyone to really stand out in most people's eyes. I have three amazing friends who like the same things I do, and we have done practically everything together. We are practically inseparable. An ideal night would be a long game of Dungeons and Dragons, which might not sound like the coolest thing in the world to everybody, but with my friends, it sure feels like it.

Dustin has always been an amazing friend to all of us, making us laugh whenever we needed to, and going all out anytime anyone needed him to. I've always admired his confidence, and I think he knows that, even if I've never actually told him. He has a condition called Cleidocranial Dysplasia, which is something that affects bone development, like cranial bones, collar bones, and especially teeth. He got picked on for missing some teeth, but he never let it get to him, or at least he never showed it; they have since grown in. The bullies, Troy and James, still call him “Toothless,” but we just ignore it like all of the other stupid, ignorant things they say to us every day.

Lucas, who is also my next-door neighbor, and I go way back. He has always been one of the bravest people I know. He has stuck with the group since the beginning, and I have always been able to count on him for anything. He always carries a sling-shot, or “wrist-rocket” as he puts it, and there have been several occasions where that has come in handy, especially in the last couple of years. Due to his skin color, Troy and James call him “Midnight,” but he always stands up to them and the other members of the party when they pull their shenanigans. We fight once in a while, but what friends don't? He keeps me grounded in reality when I start acting crazy as well.

As close as I am with Lucas and Dustin, my best friend has always been Will Byers. We met in kindergarten. Before meeting him, I wasn't exactly making friends, and I didn't feel very good about myself. My parents were worried, but they didn't know exactly what to do about it. On my first day of kindergarten, despite my fears, I approached him, seeing him alone on the swing, and asked if he wanted to be my friend. To my delight, he said “yes.” He was just as quiet and shy as I was, but our friendship grew rapidly, and we quickly became best friends. Whenever I was with him, I had a big smile on my face that I couldn't get rid of, even if I wanted to, and he had that same smile whenever he looked at me. To us, the outside world didn't matter, and as long as we had each other, we could get through anything.

This continued for years after we met, and even after we grew older, befriended Dustin and Lucas, and started doing different things, but the true test came after the night of November 6, 1983, when, after playing a 10-hour game of Dungeons and Dragons, he disappeared. That was only the beginning of the crazy things that would start happening. In my wildest dreams, I never could have foreseen what was about to happen.

On November 7, 1983, the day after Will went missing in the woods, Dustin and I went out looking for him despite being explicitly told to stay home. Every moment that I didn't know where he was felt like hours. My stomach was in knots and I felt like I was going to throw up, but I kept it together for his sake.

In the woods, we met a girl that appeared to be lost. She was about our age, and I took it upon myself to take her in and hide her in my basement. Her head was shaved, which was unusual, but I wanted to help her, especially after she revealed that she had information on where Will might be. She barely said anything, and I had to explain to her what a “friend” is. When I asked her name, she revealed a number on her arm that says “011,” indicating that her name is Eleven; we call her El for short.

What was even more surprising than all of that is that she demonstrated that she had powers. She had the ability to move things with her mind, like a Jedi in the Star Wars movies. I remember asking myself, “Am I really seeing this?” and judging by my friends' shocked expressions, I was.

I couldn't tell anyone else about her because she was being chased by “bad men” that worked at Hawkins Lab. No one in Hawkins was quite sure what was going on in there, but I don't know if anyone thought they were doing experimenting on children and that they had powers. I wasn't sure what to believe, but there was something about her that I felt I could trust. Lucas didn't exactly agree with me on this, but I trusted her, and it turned out to be the right move, because she would end up saving our lives multiple times.


	2. The Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's lifeless body has been found. At least, it seems that way.

A few days after Will went missing, our worst fears were realized, and his lifeless body was found in the quarry. Seeing his body dragged out of the water was, and still is, the worst thing I had ever seen in my entire life. I could feel my heart shatter into pieces as I thought that the person I cared for more than anyone else was dead. Nothing else mattered to me at that moment.

“Mike...” she said softly, trying to comfort me.

“Mike?” I interrupted her. “Mike what? You were supposed to help us find him alive. You said he was alive!” I was screaming at this point. “Why did you lie to us? What's wrong with you? What is wrong with you!” Looking back, I regret speaking to her that way. She had been trying to help us, and things were not as they seemed at that moment, but I was in too much pain to realize that.

I only had a short time to mourn, however, when I heard something coming from my radio that shocked me: Will's voice singing his favorite song “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” by the Clash. I thought I was hearing things, and my friends didn't even believe that it was really him, but it was. I tried to communicate with him, but the line cut out before anything else could happen. This was all the confirmation I needed to know that he was still alive. I don't know if I believed it because it was true or because I wanted to believe it, but I was determined to find him and do whatever it took to save him.

Unfortunately, I had other another issue with El later on, and none of us handled the situation as well as we should have. Dustin had an idea on finding this “portal” to the dimension that Will was trapped in that involved using a compass, but El used her powers to throw us off track, not because she didn't want to find him, but because it was dangerous. Lucas didn't see it that way and we got into a fight. El saw this fight and used her powers to hurt him, throwing him off of me and into a wall. After a moment, he stormed off and she disappeared. Thankfully, this was not the last time we would see her.

Dustin and I searched the area looking for her, and unfortunately, we ran into Troy and James, who were seeking revenge on us after a chain of events that lead to Troy peeing his pants. He threatened Dustin with a knife and told me that if I didn't jump off a cliff into the water, he would cut out his teeth.

I still can't believe what I did next: I jumped off the cliff. Maybe I was being a good friend and maybe I was out of my mind, but I did it, not knowing if I would live. Luckily, El found me just in time and used her powers to bring me back to safety. She then used them to break Troy's arm and force him and James to retreat.

“That's right you better run!” Dustin yelled. “She's our friend and she's crazy!” It was kind of funny that he said that, but I was in such shock that I was having trouble processing what had just happened.

Exhausted from using her powers, El fell to the ground.

“El, are you okay? El!” I yelled as I ran to her.

“Mike... I'm sorry,” she responded as she began to cry.

“Sorry? What are you sorry for?”

“The gate... I opened...I'm the monster.”

“No...no, El, you're not the monster. You saved me. Do you understand? You saved me,” I reassured her as I pulled her into a hug as Dustin joined us. I wasn't sure what she was talking about by “opening the gate,” and it did cause a lot of damage, but none of it was her fault. It was the fault of the “bad men” at Hawkins Lab that forced her to do it.


	3. He's Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang learn the truth. Will Byers is alive, but finding him won't be their only problem.

After reconciling with Lucas and hiding out for a while, we met up at the gym to try a new way of finding Will. It seemed totally crazy, but everything I had seen in the last few days was crazy as well, and we were all desperate to try anything, so we did it. With the help of Lucas, Dustin, Nancy, Chief Hopper, Will's mom, and Jonathan, we gathered 1,500 pounds of salt and put it into a giant pool for a sensory deprivation technique.

We all appreciated what lengths she was willing to go to find Will, and Barb, who was Nancy's friend that also went missing. We made sure that El remained safe and set the wheels in motion. Unfortunately, Barb was already dead by the time El found her, but Will, was still alive. He was barely hanging on, laying down in the Upside Down version of Castle Byers. El assured him that we were coming for him before getting cut off again. As relieved as I was that he was still alive, he wasn't going to make it much longer if we didn't find him.

Will's mom and Chief Hopper left to find a portal and get to him while we remained inside, anxiously waiting for any news on whether or not they could find him. In the heat of the moment, I gave El a kiss. Maybe it was the tension and maybe it was hormones, but it felt right. When Nancy asked about my feelings for her, I lied and said that I didn't like her that way, but she probably saw right through me just as I saw through her when she said that she and Jonathan were “just friends.”

After a short time worrying about the results of Hopper and Mrs. Byers' search, we had our own problems to deal with. The “bad men” had tracked us down, and we were in serious trouble.


	4. Fight With The Demogorgon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Hopper and Joyce look for Will, the bad men have found El's location, putting her, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin in serious danger. The bad men, however, are not the only problem.

Everything happened so fast that it was kind of a blur, but I do have some memories of what happened. We saw the bad men coming after El, tried to run away, but ended up getting captured. El used her powers to fight off some of the bad men, but there were too many of them to fight off, and her powers were drained. She collapsed and I ran to her.

“El! El, are you okay? El! Something's wrong!” I yelled.

“She's just drained,” Dustin responded.

“No, she won't wake up!” I scream frantically, shaking her. “El. El! El!” I heard a heartbeat, but it was faint, and she was barely breathing. I didn't know how, but I was determined to protect her.

“Leave her!” a voice beamed at me. It belonged to Dr. Martin Brenner, the leader of Hawkins Lab and the man that has abused El for most of her life. “Step away from the child,” he demanded.

“No!” I screamed at him. “You want her, you have to kill us first!” I don't know where I found this bravery, but I refused to back down. I knew there were too many of them and they were bigger and stronger than us, but I didn't care. Unfortunately, they grabbed us, and despite our best efforts, we couldn't stop them from taking her.

El, on the other hand, could. She woke up and used her powers to kill some of the bad men and lure a Demogorgon to kill the others. This worked, but we had a bigger problem to deal with: the Demogorgon. We all ran to an empty classroom, with Dustin carrying El with us.

“Just hold on a little longer, okay?” I said to El through my tears. I couldn't believe how much I cared for someone I had only known for such a short time. “He's gone. The bad man's gone. We'll be home soon and my mom...she'll get you your own bed. You can eat as many Eggos as you want. And...we can go to the snow ball...”  
“Promise?” she asked softly, with a scared look on her face.

“Promise,” I reassured her.

The Demogorgon found us, and we were cornered. El was drained, or so we thought, and none of our attacks were doing anything against him. Before we knew it, El was back on her feet and she pushed it against the wall before it could hurt us.

“Goodbye, Mike” she said sadly as she looked back at me. I screamed her name, but her focus on the Demogorgon; she even used her powers to push me back so that I wouldn't get hurt trying to interfere. Using a ton of power, she destroyed it, but when we opened our eyes, she was gone too. We didn't know if she was dead or in the Upside Down, and we wouldn't find out for a long time.

I was devastated to see her go, and even more so not knowing if she was alive, or if she was okay. Not long after that, though, we received some much-needed good news: Mrs. Byers and Hopper found Will. He's alive and he's going to be okay.


	5. Crazy Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will has been found and he is going to be okay.

It felt like an eternity between receiving this news and actually seeing him again, but when the moment came, I felt a sense of joy I never thought was even possible. I was sad to see him in the hospital, hooked up to a bunch of machines, but he was alive, and it wasn't that long ago that we all thought he was dead. We all went in to hug him and I never wanted to let go. The smile on his face seeing us again made everything worth it. All the trouble that we had gotten into was worth it, and I felt like everything was going to be okay.

Even though I was sad about Eleven, my best friend, my brother, the person I had shared most of my life with, was here, living and breathing. We were so excited that we told him everything that happened while he was gone, and we couldn't wait for him to get out of the hospital. We thought that his nightmare was over, but unfortunately, he had a lot more suffering in his future.

For a while, things were back to normal. We replayed the original Dungeons and Dragons campaign, and this time, we won! Our celebrations almost made us forget about the hell we had endured with the supernatural.

A few months after returning home safely, Will started having strange episodes. Dr. Sam Owens, who had taken over for Dr. Brenner at Hawkins Lab, had sessions with him and told him that what he was experiencing was called PTSD: post-traumatic-stress-syndrome over his ordeal. When it was explained to me, it made sense, and I thought that that was legitimately what he was going through since it was more than a little traumatic for him, but we would learn later that what he was experiencing was even worse.

This was especially true when it came close to the anniversary of the time he went missing. At the arcade, we had a moment where we couldn't find him. He told me that he was just getting some fresh air, but the expressions on his face told a different story. Something else was going on, but I didn't want to push him to tell me. I figured he would tell me when he was ready.

Halloween came shortly after that episode, and this time, it was worse. There were a couple minutes that we couldn't find him. When we did find him, he was cowering and covering his face. Something big had happened. I asked if he was hurt and told him that I was going to get him home.

When we got back to my house, he told me everything about how he saw a giant Shadow Monster every time he had one of those episodes. With everything that he'd been through, I felt awful for him. I was still worried about El, trying to get in touch with her every day not knowing if she was even alive, but I knew that I had to be there for Will. He said he felt that he was going crazy and I said that I felt the same way, worrying about him and El, but if we were to go crazy, we could go crazy together. I was happy to see that I was able to help him feel better. I could only imagine what he had been through in the Upside Down and what he was going through with his episodes, but I wanted, more than anything, for it to stop. If it were possible, I would have taken on those episodes for him.


	6. The Possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's episodes are getting worse and everybody is in danger. Mike must make a difficult decision.

Things only got worse for him over the next few days. Will had a terrible episode looking for Dustin's stupid pet that we had learned came from the Upside Down. I heard him screaming “Go away!” in the middle of the football field several times and saw what looked like a seizure. His eyes rolled in the back of his head and he was unresponsive for about a minute. His mom took him home and I was so scared for him. I knew my mother would never let me skip school for that reason, so I had to stay put, but I could hardly function for the rest of the day.

He continued to miss school, which would not ordinarily worry me since he had missed a few days for his sessions with Dr. Owens, but with his episodes getting worse and more frequent, I was concerned something really bad had happened, especially with that last episode, so I took it upon myself to come to his house and check on him.

My fears were confirmed when I arrived. Mrs. Byers told me he wasn't feeling well and that this wasn't the best time for a visit. I knew that it wasn't a fever; something big was wrong with him. The expression on his face showed extreme fear and confusion. He told me everything that had been going on with him, like how he was getting what he called “now memories,” which were memories he had that weren't his, and how he could see what the Shadow Monster could see. I refused to leave his side and even stayed the night.

When I woke up, he had a horrified expression on his face, telling me that Hopper was in trouble. Thanks to Mrs. Byers' boyfriend, Bob, we were able to decipher the map that Will had drawn and found him just in time. Hopper was safe, but things were about to get much worse for Will. Soldiers from Hawkins Lab arrived and torched a part of the Upside Down in an attempt to contain the growing problem.

What we didn't expect, however, was that Will would have an episode worse than what he ever had before. He fell to the ground and started convulsing. I tried to help him and I would have done anything to do so, but all I could do was watch helplessly. He was taken to Hawkins Lab to be treated, and he screamed the entire way. I held his hand, trying to comfort him, but there was no relief for the level of pain that he must have been growing through. We made it, and they helped him immediately. He said the pain he felt was everywhere, like he was burning up, but there were no burn marks on his skin. They ended up sedating him, putting him to sleep, which brought him some much-needed relief.

I refused to leave his side for anything. I wanted to be there when he woke up, and a couple of hours later, he did. He seemed okay physically, but he was losing his memory. He recognized his mother, but not Hopper, Dr. Owens, or even Bob, who was dating his mother. I was relieved to learn that he still remembered me, but things were about to get even worse.

He told me about the Shadow Monster's anger towards the soldiers, and before we knew it, he was almost completely under the monster's control. He set them up for a trap. I ran and tried to warn them about it, but sadly, I was too late, and monsters from the Upside Down killed them all, and were coming for us.

I wasn't sure if we were going to make it out alive, but I knew what I needed to do, but it wasn't going to be easy. In fact, it was rather heartbreaking.

“We need to make Will sleep,” I yell to Mrs. Byers, out of breath. “He's a spy. If he knows where we are, so does the Shadow Monster.”

“He's lying!” yelled Will as he protested. At this point, I was pretty sure it was the Mind Flayer speaking, but not entirely.

“He killed those soldiers. He'll kill us too!” I yelled.

“He's lying! He's lying! He's lying! He's lying! He's lying!” he continued to scream. Even though I knew it wasn't really him, he was using Will's voice, and it felt like I had betrayed him.

“Okay, Will, Will, listen, listen. Do you know who I am?” Mrs. Byers questioned. There was no answer.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked again.

“You're...” he hesitated. “You're... you're Mom.” He was in there, but he was no longer had any control, and we needed to take action immediately.

“Hold him down,” Mrs. Byers reluctantly ordered. I could tell this was tearing her apart inside, just like it was for me.

“No, let me go!” he screamed as the adults in the room did what was asked of them.

“I'm sorry,” Mrs. Byers said to him with tears in her eyes as she injected him with a sedative.

“Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!” he continued to scream.

“I'm sorry,” Mrs. Byers repeated herself. “I'm so sorry.”

“No! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!” Will screamed as the drugs started taking affect and he fell asleep. I was terrified without a doubt, as much as I was when running from the Demogorgon, but somehow, this was worse. Seeing him struggle and scream like that felt like I was getting punched really hard in the gut again and again, worse than the punches Troy used to give me at school. I know, and I even knew then, that it wasn't him doing that. It was the Mind Flayer, but that was his face and his voice that was so scared, confused, and betrayed. All I wanted to do was lay down and throw up, but that wasn't the time or the place. We were in grave danger, and if we didn't move, we would all die.


	7. The Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody is now trapped in Hawkins Lab with no power.

Thanks to the quick thinking of Hopper, Bob, and Dr. Owens, we found a place to hide. It's a good thing Will's so skinny since Hopper had to carry his unconscious body with us. Unfortunately, while we had a safe hiding place, we couldn't exit the building from there. In fact, we couldn't exit at all because the power was off, and the only person that could operate the program to turn the power back on was Bob.

Bob was so brave. He agreed to help us, even though the place was crawling with creatures from the Upside Down that could kill us. He kept a walkie with him, and he managed to get the power back on. Getting back to us wasn't easy, but thanks to Hopper's directions, he did it. Unfortunately, he stopped to look at Mrs. Byers when he thought he was safe, and that sealed his fate. The Demogorgon dog, or demo-dog as Dustin puts it, attacked him, and in almost no time, had killed him, but the time for mourning had to come later because we had to get out of there.

We made it back to the Byers' house, but we were in no way safe. Will was still possessed and the creatures had made their way into our world, despite everyone's best efforts to stop them. The one person that I thought could help us had been missing in action for close to a year. We needed a miracle, but we weren't about to give up. Bob Newby had made a noble sacrifice for all of us, and there was no way we were about to let it go in vain and let him down.

We had no idea how to beat this creature, but we had someone who might know: Will. It was a huge risk considering the fact that the Mind Flayer was using him to spy on us, but if anyone would know its weaknesses, it would be him.


	8. Let Me Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang have escaped, but they have no idea how to stop the Mind Flayer. There is one person who can help, but he's possessed. Can the people closest to him get through to him and get the information they need?

To prevent him from spying on us, we had to disguise the room where we'd wake him up and tie him up so he couldn't alert the Shadow Monster of his location. It took a lot of time to set up, but we got it down. I knew this would be painful for all of us, seeing him this way, and knowing that he would probably fight us, but it was necessary, and I was willing to do anything to get my best friend back and banish these monsters. We all took deep breaths and got started.

Hopper gave him smelling sauce to wake him up.

“What? What? What is this?” he screamed. I immediately felt as sick as I did earlier that day, but I knew we had to press on. “Why am I tied up?”

“Will, we just want to talk to you,” Joyce responded calmly. “We're not gonna hurt you.”

“Where am I?”

“Hey,” she said back, trying to remain calm. “We wanna help you. But to do that, we have to understand how to kill it.”

“Why am I tied up?!” he screamed as he struggled to free himself. “Why am I tied up? Why am I tied up?” I forced myself to look at him, but each word hurt more and more.

“Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!” he continued screaming. Part of me wanted to just let him go. The pain from watching him like that was so bad that I almost wanted to just let one of those creatures kill me. I didn't even notice the tears going down my face initially.

After what felt like an eternity, he settled down, but I could see in his eyes that it wasn't Will I was looking at. It's hard to explain, but I felt the presence of evil from his eyes; it was filled with complete and utter hatred. I had never seen that look in his eyes before, and I never saw it since.

In an attempt to get through to him, Mrs. Byers and Jonathan told them of their favorite memories of him. Mrs. Byers talked about his eighth birthday, which took place on March 22nd, the 120 color pack of crayons that he got, the rainbow ship that he drew, and how proud she was of it, so much so that she displayed it where she worked. I remembered that birthday, but it seemed so long ago. It was so hard to see someone like Will, who didn't have an evil bone in his body, in this kind of position.

Jonathan went next, and told the story of building Castle Byers after his father left the family. I wasn't there for that, but he and I spent so much time in there that it felt like a second home. I would have given anything at that moment to just hang out there with him, reading comics, playing games, and watching his eyes light up from excitement every time he speaks to me.

Next, it was my turn, and I knew exactly what to say, but I wasn't sure if I could even hold my composure long enough to get the words out.

“Do you remember the first day that we met?” I asked. The tears were flowing down my face, but I didn't even care. “It was...It was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody. I had no friends and...I just felt so alone and scared, but...I saw you on the swings, and you were alone, too. You were just swinging by yourself. And I just walked up to you and...I asked. I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes.” I hesitated. “You said yes. It was the best thing I've ever done.”

I meant every word of what I said to him. I don't know what would have happened to me if we had never met, or if he said no, and I don't want to know. His friendship meant, and still means, everything to me. As much as I care for Dustin and Lucas, there is no way I would have the confidence or happiness that I have in my life. I owe him everything, and watching him suffer was a pain too much to bear.

His face softened, and it looked like he was about to cry with me and come back to us, but, to our dismay, he said three words that broke all our hearts: “Let me go.”

It felt like everything we said fell on deaf ears, and he was truly dead, but Hopper noticed something crucial: his hands. He was using Morse code to communicate with us. The Shadow Monster might have prevented him from speaking, but he still found a way to help us, which is just like him, showing resourcefulness when we needed it most, like he did so many times playing Dungeons and Dragons. The memories were bringing him out of it, and we kept them coming long enough to get it. C-L-O-S-E G-A-T-E was the message he gave us.

Our nightmare was still not over yet. We knew what to do, but not how to do it, and things were about to get worse: the phone rang, and Will became aware of where he was. Mrs. Byers knocked him back out, but the damage was done, and we were in danger, but just when we needed a miracle, that's exactly what we got. A dead “demo-dog” went through the window and the door opened to reveal the only person that could save us: El.


	9. The Grand Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> El has returned, but is she too late to close the gate and save everybody?

Words cannot properly describe how I felt seeing her again. For 353 days, I had tried to contact her, not knowing if she was alive, but holding on to hope that she was and that she would return. The hug we shared felt like everything was going to be okay. I didn't know how, but somehow, she would save us, cure Will, and take down Hawkins Lab once and for all. That's not exactly how it turned out, but she would save us, and Will would be cured.

As desperate as this situation was, I had a bone to pick with Hopper. For all that time, he was taking care of her, keeping her from me, and not even telling me that she was alive and alright. He did it to protect us, but I was so angry that I didn't care. I even attacked him, but someone my size wasn't going to be able to hurt him at all. I will give him credit for one thing though: he didn't fight back. He understood exactly what I was going through and why I was so upset.

After I settled down, we filled El in on everything that had happened. Thankfully, she knew exactly how to close the gate. After all, she was the one that opened in the first place, not that it was her fault; her “papa” forced her to do it.

She left to close the gate with Hopper, and I came to an awful realization: if the gate were to close while Will was still possessed, it might kill him. He felt everything that was happening to the Upside Down, so that is most likely what would have happened. It's also likely that when he gave us that information, he knew it would kill him, and he was willing to make that sacrifice to save us. As noble as that was, there was no way we were going to let that happen.

Mrs. Byers came up with an idea on getting that demon out of him: heat. The Mind Flayer liked it cold and couldn't stand heat. If they cranked it up high enough, it might drive him out. I wanted to be there for him, but she simply wouldn't allow it due to it being too dangerous. She was right, but I still wanted to be there when he woke up. I had to settle for seeing him later on.

I couldn't be there to help El or Will, but I'm never one that enjoys being benched. I didn't let it stop me or my friends when we went looking for Will, and I sure as hell wasn't going to let it stop me then. Steve was keeping an eye on us, but an unfortunate encounter with Max's dickhead stepbrother had us change our plans. Billy beat him up pretty bad, but Max grabbed a sedative and injected him with it.

We headed over to the pumpkin field where Hopper got trapped and Will had his episode. Our plan was to distract the creatures to clear the way for El. Max drove us there since Steve was too out of it from the fight to drive; when he woke up, he thought I was Nancy! I probably need to have my head examined for getting into a car with her driving, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

It wasn't easy, but we provided the distraction needed for El to close the gate. Shortly before doing so, I heard what I had wanted to hear for hours, that Will was okay. He was worn down from all he had been through, but the Mind Flayer had been driven away, and he was going to make it. It was at that moment that I knew everything was going to be okay. I had every faith in El to get the job done, and that faith was well founded.


	10. Battle Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eleven has closed the gate and Will has been set free of the Mind Flayer, but how will everyone handle the psychological trauma? Mike has a deep conversation with Will, then El.

We got back to the Byers home safely, partially thanks to the fact that Steve was driving and not Max. Will was already there with his mom and brother. He looked weak and exhausted, but he was alive, and in that moment, that was all that mattered.

I ran over and hugged him. Despite his exhaustion, his eyes lit up the moment he saw me like they had so many times. It was so long since I had seen that expression, but the moment I saw it, I knew that he was okay. We were both sweating, and there were tears flowing down our faces, but we didn't care. I held onto him tightly, as if not doing so would make him would float away, and he held onto me as if I was the only thing keeping him from falling off a cliff.

Neither of us wanted to let go, and I have no idea how long we stayed like that, but we needed this. I had really thought that he was gone forever this time, and I still hated myself for what had happened that day. I guess I was being too hard on myself because I knew that he didn't blame me at all. Without saying a single word, he told me that it was all okay and that I did the right thing.

“Mike,” Will said softly after we eventually broke apart.

“Yeah?” I respond.

“Did you mean it?” he asked as we made eye contact. “That asking me to be your friend was the best thing you've ever done?”

“I meant every word of it,” I respond softly. “Your friendship means everything to me.”

“It was the best thing I did too,” he responded. “I felt scared and alone too. Everyone thought I was weird because I was quiet, but not you. Your friendship means everything to me too.”

We hugged one last time and I negotiated to stay there the night. My parents were totally oblivious to where I was and I knew they wouldn't notice if I didn't come home that night. Will was so exhausted that he took a shower and went right to bed, but I stayed up. I knew Hopper was going to bring El here before taking her home. I knew that she was okay, but I wanted to see her one last time. I was also hoping that I could arrange for us to see each other again.

I only waited for about half an hour, but it felt like it was so much longer, especially because everybody else had either gone home or gone to bed, but it was worth it. She ran over and hugged me tight as soon as they arrived. Hopper looked at us and smiled. Even though I had been upset with him earlier, that anger had faded. How could I stay angry at him when he was taking care of her and making sure she was safe from the bad men?

“El,” I said as we embraced. “I missed you so much. I can't wait another 353 days to see you again. I just can't.”

After we broke apart, she looked over at Hopper, asking him without words how we can make this work.

“Kid,” he said as he sighed. “You won't have to wait 353 days again. I know how much you mean to her. She might still be in danger, but I can't keep you apart like this anymore. We'll have to be extremely careful about this, but you can come over to my cabin and spend time with her, but you can't tell anyone, aside from who already knows, about this. Anyone could be listening and if the wrong person finds out, it could be a problem. Do we have a deal?”

I quickly shook my head with a big smile on my face as I grabbed both of her hands.

“Tomorrow, at 3:15. 3-1-5 remember? I'll come over to see you. I'll even have the others come along. I know you miss all of us. Hopper, is that okay?”

“It's okay with me as long as you're discrete about it,” he answered. “Be sure that no one is following you, and don't tell anyone else about this.”

The party and I saw her that day, and she finally got to meet Will since she didn't have the opportunity to do so the last time we saw her. The agreement was that I could come over every other day, and the others were welcome to come along as well as long as they followed the same rules I did. Sometimes, it was just me, and I liked having that one on one time with her. Other times, I had one or more friends come over. We'd watch TV, listen to music, play games, and chat together. I even managed to teach her how to play Dungeons and Dragons, and she caught on really fast.

After a couple of weeks of visits, she and I became romantically involved. I don't know if the same is true for her, but I loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her. I felt a connection when I first looked into those beautiful, brown eyes, even when she was soaking wet and terrified. The only people that were aware of our romantic relationship were the members of the party and Hopper. We couldn't go out on actual dates, but I gladly accepted this arrangement over never seeing her.

The Snow Ball, which is a school dance held every December, was the first time that we went anywhere outside of Hopper's cabin as a couple. Hopper had negotiated this with Dr. Owens, who had pulled a lot of strings to make him her official guardian. When I got there, I wasn't sure if she would be able to make it with all things considered.

Lucas, Dustin, Will, and Max all came to the dance too, and they all got to dance with someone. Lucas and Max had developed feelings for each other, and had a dance together; Dustin surprisingly had a dance with Nancy; and Will even got asked to dance with a girl in our class. She called him Zombie Boy, which I didn't like, but I don't think she meant to be mean about it. He was reluctant at first, but I encouraged him to go through with it; it was just a dance, not a marriage proposal.

I probably could have gotten one of the girls to dance with me, but there was only one girl that I wanted to dance with: El. After what felt like an eternity, there she was, and she looked incredible. Who would have thought that Hopper would be so good at that kind of thing? Her dress was beautiful, her hair looked really nice, and her makeup was perfect.

“Hey,” I say as she walks in. “Do you want to dance?”

“I don't know how,” she responded softly.

“Neither do I,” I answered. “Want to learn together?” She nodded and we danced together. Neither of us knew much about dancing, but I was happy with how things went. We hadn't had our first kiss yet since her return, and I wasn't going to waste this opportunity. I was nervous, but I went for it. It was short, but she kissed back, and it was the most incredible feeling. This kiss meant a lot more than the one the previous year. Back then, we were both curious, and worried about a number of things, like getting arrested, found by the bad men, and the well-being of Will, who was missing at the time. This time, we were finally able to enjoy it.


	11. Standing Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Troy bullies Mike. Will helps him, but in doing so, learns something incredible about himself.

I had always admired Will, and not just because we had been best friends for so long. His positive attitude, his artistic skill, and his kindness to everybody, even if they didn't deserve it. In addition to that, he had proven to be so tough, resilient, and brave, more so than I could ever be. Whenever I told him that, he would deny it and tell me that he was just lucky, but I knew that wasn't true. He might not have been confident in himself, but if he didn't have all those qualities, he wouldn't be alive today, and neither would any of us. Who else but him would think to use Morse Code to send a message on defeating the Shadow Monster? Who else would be willing to sacrifice his own life for his friends at the age of 12 but him?

These traumatic episodes affected his mental state as it would anybody, and I was happy to help him in any way I could. I would never know what it was like for him during these episodes, but my friendship and support was exactly what he needed. Whether that involved a game of Dungeons and Dragons with the party, playing games at the arcade, watching a movie together, or just chatting, I was there for him and he was there for me. Dustin and Lucas were there sometimes, but they had their own lives outside of the party as well, with Lucas dating Max and Dustin forming an unlikely friendship with Steve “the hair” Harrington. I had El, but I balanced my time between her and Will because of how much they both mean to me.

Even after all the craziness over the course of the past year, I was not prepared for what would happen next. At the time, I wasn't sure what had happened and thought that it might have been my mind playing tricks on me, but in this town, you can't rule anything out, no matter how crazy it seems.

The trouble started with Troy, as is always the case in school.

“Hey Frog Face,” he said to me with a big grin on his face.

“Piss off,” I reply as I open my locker, having no interest in what he wanted to say. As always, though, he wasn't so easy to get rid of.

“Where's your boyfriend?” he snickered as he closed my locker. “Zombie Boy.”

“Get lost dick-wad,” I responded, getting more agitated by the second. I pushed him back, but that only made things worse. As much as I hate to admit this, he was bigger than me, and I couldn't take him in a fight, but that's exactly what came next. Before I could do anything else, he put me in a headlock, and a crowd started to form around us. Lucas and Dustin heard what was going on and ran to my aide, but James, one of Troy's stupid mouth-breathing friends, pushed them down hard.

Before they even got off their feet, I heard a familiar voice screaming for him to let me go. It was Will's. For some reason, he didn't join us for lunch like he normally does and we didn't see him afterwards either, but here he was standing his ground for me. I knew Troy wouldn't listen, and there wasn't much that Will could do since he's always been smaller than me, but something strange happened. The lights flickered on and off, and before I knew it, Troy was on the ground. He had hit is head hard on the floor, but no one was close enough to us to do anything like that. Will's nose bled, and I swore it was just a coincidence that it happened right then and there, but I would come to learn much later that he had powers, just like El.

We didn't speak much of what happened, but we continued to spend time together; sometimes, it was just the two of us, but other times, the whole party was there. Troy missed the next few days of school, but he left us alone after that, which I didn't think would ever happen. After all, being made to pee his pants and having his arm didn't stop him, so why would this? Whatever the reason, we were glad to finally be free of his torment.


	12. The Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike and Will have a fight, but, there's no time for that, because there's a new danger.

Over the course of the next month, we didn't see each other as much. We saw each other in school and hung out every week for the obligatory campaign of Dungeons and Dragons, but he seemed a little more distant than usual. I would ask him if everything is alright, but he would always tell me he was fine. There was something on his mind, but I didn't want to push him to tell me; he always hated that, and I figured that he would talk to me when he's ready.

It was at school that I would hear a disturbing rumor about him, that he was spending time with a girl at Castle Byers, and the description of the girl matched El. I didn't believe it, but I had to know if it was true, so I sneaked off after school. To my horror, I saw that the rumors were true. El had walked into Castle Byers. They only hugged before she went in, but I assumed that more was going on and she was cheating on me with him.

After everything I had been through with both of them, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My girlfriend and best friend were having a relationship behind my back. I couldn't confront them then, but I would tell Will in school the next day, and that's what I did, but I would learn later on that things were not as they appeared to be.

At the time, nothing mattered, and I was boiling with rage. I didn't get my chance to confront Will until after school, and the way he approached me just made me angrier. He acted as if everything was fine and he wasn't making out with my girlfriend! I pushed him down and told him that I knew everything. He looked back at me with those innocent, puppy-dog eyes and didn't say anything. I left without saying another word.

Things were pretty rough after that. Dustin and Lucas didn't want to get involved in our fight, and I couldn't bring myself to confront El, so I was alone. I ignored my family, only giving one-word answers to their questions and not engaging in any kind of conversation. I felt guilty over what I had done, but I couldn't apologize to him because he was the one that was wrong, or so I thought.

Loneliness and anger turned into fear and hopelessness one night, however, as I laid my eyes on what I had never wanted to see again: a Demogorgon. At least I was the only one home and my family wasn't in danger, but I was faced with the very real possibility that I was going to die. I wondered if that was how Will felt during his time in the Upside Down.

As the memories of his trauma came flooding back, I felt worse and worse for the way I treated him. I didn't hate him or even dislike him for what he did, but I did feel hurt and betrayed. With what was about to happen, none of that even mattered. I was going to die and Will was going to think I died hating him, and that was the worst part. I decided that if I were to make it out of there alive, I would apologize to him and befriend him again, if he would even want to be my friend.

As I was hiding, I heard the door fly open, and I thought that this was it, and I was about to get eaten by a Demogorgon, just like Barb and Bob before me. To my surprise, however, I saw El and Will run downstairs and confront the Demogorgon coming for me.

“Will, run!” I screamed. I didn't want to die, but I didn't want him to die either. El had powers to defend himself, but he didn't, or so I thought. El got caught behind by a Demogorgon, but she started fighting if off as she yelled for Will to help me. For the first time, I saw his powers in action. His abilities were impressive as he used them to toss the Demogorgon around like a rag doll and killed it with relative ease.

After El killed the Demogorgon she was fighting, she and Will helped me to my feet. I hugged them both and, as I was about to apologize, Will cut me off. He had already forgiven me for what I did to him earlier. It was at that moment that I remembered how lucky I was to have such a wonderful, forgiving friend, and I was ecstatic to have him back. There wasn't much time to catch up, however, because the danger we were in had just begun.


	13. Friendship Repaired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike repairs his relationship with Will and El just in time for the fight against the creatures from the Upside Down.

We had some time to rest, but we knew that more trouble was coming our way. I made sure to make Will and El as comfortable as possible so that we would be ready. For some reason, even though I knew we were in for the fight of our lives, I felt a sense of calmness in the air. Maybe it was the eye of the storm, or maybe I was making peace with the possibility that my life was going to end soon, or maybe it was because I was close to my two favorite people, but it was nice feeling that way, if only for a moment.

I had decided that I would use this opportunity to speak with El, and then Will, about everything that happened and repair the damage I caused to our relationships. At least if I were to die, I thought, I would have died knowing that those two were my best friends, and they would know that.

“El, can we talk,” I say softly as Will heads over to the living room to relax.

“Yes,” she responded, just as softly, with her expression hard to read.

“I'm sorry, for everything,” I start with, speaking a lot faster than I realized. “I saw you with Will at Castle Byers and I heard rumors and I just thought...I just thought...I don't know. I was being stupid. Will's my best friend and you're so special to me and I don't want to mess that up and...”

She cut my off by hugging and kissing me. She always did speak more with her actions then her words, and this was no exception. I don't know if I deserved to be forgiven for how I treated her and Will, but luckily, I was, and at that moment, there was no impending danger, nothing in the house was wrecked, and nothing else mattered.

“I understand,” she said as we broke apart. “I should have told you.”

“I should have trusted you,” I said back. “Friends trust each other, and I wasn't being a very good friend.”

“It's okay. I understand,” she said as she put her hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. I smiled back as I looked into those beautiful brown eyes, the same ones I saw when meeting her for the first time in the woods. This time, however, instead of fear, I saw love and compassion.

I got water for all of us, which we needed after such an ordeal, and I decided to speak with Will as I brought him his. He had finally caught his breath and he appeared to calm down, even with our impending battle coming up.

“Will, I'm so sorry for the way I treated you,” I told him, staring directly into his eyes. “I was a bad friend, and I acted like a jerk.”

“Mike,” he said back. “I already told you that I forgive you. Hell, I wouldn't be able to stay mad at you if I tried. We're cool. I promise.” He smiled and we hugged as if we hadn't seen each other in years. After we broke apart, he felt the back of his neck.

“They're close,” he said as his eyes grew larger. “Find a place to hide. When we give you the signal, run.”

“No,” I said abruptly as I shook my head. “I won't sit on the sidelines while the two of you risk your lives for me.”  
“It's... not safe,” El said to me as she walked into the room. “We have powers. You don't.” I knew this was true, but I didn't let it stop me. I left the room as if I were doing what they told me, but what I was really doing was looking for weapons. So many things can be used as a weapon, but this time, I had trouble finding anything that I could use. Time was running out, so I grabbed the closest thing I could, which was a flashlight. Creatures from the Upside Down don't like light or heat, so I figured I could use this to my advantage, blinding them with the light and hitting them with it. I didn't think it would do much, but something is better than nothing.

The doorbell rang, which didn't make any sense. Those creatures would never just ring the doorbell; they'd break through the door. When we opened the door, it wasn't evil that was waiting for us, it was backup. Lucas, Dustin, Max, Steve, Mrs. Byers, and Hopper showed up with weapons, ready to fight. This meant that more people could die, but if we didn't use every resource we could, we'd probably die anyway, so we got ready to fight alongside them.


	14. Fight For Your Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike, Will, and El have reinforcements, but will it be enough to fight off these swarms of creatures trying to kill them?

Before we could even get reacquainted with our allies, the house was swarming with creatures from the Upside Down. Even more so than the time we went to the pumpkin patch to distract them earlier. Everywhere I looked, there were Demogorgon dogs, or demo-dogs, Demogorgons of all sizes, and other horrifying creatures I could hardly even identify.

Everyone looked determined, but nervous, unsure of whether or not we could actually beat these things, even with our weapons and reinforcements. Everyone, except for El and Will. Considering her experience dealing with these things, I wasn't surprised at El's confidence, but it was Will's that I didn't expect.

He had always been timid and scared, even before dealing with these things. He rarely stood up for himself up until recently, and we rarely even watched horror movies together since he couldn't seem to handle them, yet, here we are, in a life and death situation, and he was more confident than I had ever seen him, or anybody for that matter.

Up until that point, I had never realized how brave he really was, surviving an entire week in the Upside Down, luring the Demogorgon away from his mom and Nancy, fighting off the Mind Flayer long enough to save Hopper, than using Morse Code to help us defeat it knowing that doing so might kill him, and now this. I guess people show bravery in different ways, and for him, it was protecting us, which was just like him, too scared to watch horror movies, go on roller coasters, or even stand up for himself, but putting himself in mortal danger for the people he cares about.

I learned a lot about him that day, but I didn't have much time to think, since we were in for the fight of our lives. We stepped outside, not wanting to fight them indoors, and two demo dogs came charging at me. While walking on four feet, their height only reached my knees, but I didn't let their size fool me. I had seen Dustin's old pet “Dart” and knew those things were a lot more dangerous than they looked, and it was one of those monsters that killed Bob Newby, so I blinded one with my flashlight, then kicked in the face as hard as I could. Well, I kicked what would have been its face had those things even had faces.

The demo dog went down, but I could tell it wasn't beaten. I was shocked at how tough their skin was. My big toe felt like it might have broken from that kick, but with the adrenaline pumping, all I could think of was survival. The other one opened its face, and I stepped back, causing it to fall down as it tried to bite me. I used that opportunity to stomp on its head and it let out a horrifying, high pitched scream before it died. Before I could even celebrate, the other one bit my leg, causing me to fall down, and in that moment, all I could think of was how much pain I was in.

This was worse than any dog or cat bite, and I could feel its teeth piercing my skin as I screamed out in pain and closed my eyes. Unsure if I would even live another moment, it let go, but not because of me, because El and Will had seen it going after me, and they used their combined powers to throw it into a tree, killing it.

“Kid, take this,” Hopper yelled as he threw a pistol to me. Reflexes took over and I caught it. I didn't have much experience firing a weapon before, as there was only one time that my dad took me to a gun range, and that was heavily supervised, but this was my best option.

El ran to check on me, but she didn't seem to notice the Demogorgon behind her. As she approached me, I pushed her to the side, and shot it in the face, surprisingly right on target. It fell down, but got back up. At this point, she realized what happened, and took it down with hardly any effort. I had seen how much stronger she had become from the first time I had seen her kill one of those things. Back then, she had to use everything she had to kill one, and it landed her in the Upside Down, but here she was, taking down many of them without even trying.

Though her powers were impressive, that wasn't even my favorite thing about her. It was how much she cared for me and what she would do for me. While she was fighting these creatures, she noticed that I was in trouble and put my safety ahead of hers, just like Will has always done for all of us. Even after defeating that demo dog, she rushed to check on me, completely oblivious to her impending danger.

El helped me to my feet, but after doing so, I insisted that she protect the others and that I was alright. Reluctantly, she left my side and continued fighting off the other creatures. I was limping, but I could stand on my own, and I held the gun with both of my hands ready to aim, but before I could do so, Nancy ran to me.

“Mike, hold the gun like this,” she said as she demonstrated how she held her gun. “Trust me. You'll be more accurate.” I don't know how, but she was a great shot with a gun. She hadn't even been to the gun range before, but she was a perfect shot, so I followed her advice, and it turned out to be good advice, because all of the shots from then on hit their target. A few of them failed to deliver the fatal blow, but injured them enough for someone else to take them out.

The numbers began to thin until the remaining creatures retreated, which was strange considering the fact that these creatures are nowhere near as intelligent as humans, acting on instinct instead of formulating a plan. It was as if a higher force had instructed them to do so. I would later learn that that is exactly what happened, but that was the least of our worries when I saw El come back to us.

“M-Mike,” she said to me with a shaky voice and a look of concern on her face. “Did Will go inside?” I shook my head and her expression went from concern to despair. No one else had seen him since the two of them saved me from the demo dog, and everybody had searched the area extensively. I could feel the color drain from my face and my mouth dry up as I realized the truth. He was missing again.


	15. The Second Vanishing Of Will Byers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The creatures from the Upside Down have been defeated, but Will has gone missing again. It's up to everyone to find out what happened to him.

“Will!” I shouted at the topic of my lungs over and over again as I searched every nearby area, not caring about the injury to my leg or even my own safety. I was silently praying that I'd find him safe and that this was a false alarm, but the more time passed, the more hopeless I felt, and the more my world came crashing down on me. My searching became frantic and I started running, as if running really fast would lead me right to him.

When I realized that I was not going to find him, I landed hard on the ground, not because of my bad leg or exhaustion from the fight, but because I knew that he was either dead or in a lot of trouble, and I couldn't do anything for him. My body shook uncontrollably and I couldn't see anything past my tears. Even breathing became difficult for me.

“Mike! Mike!” El screamed as she caught up to me with Dustin and Lucas close behind. All of them were saying things to me and to each other, clearly worried about me as well, but I couldn't make out a single word they were saying, and I couldn't even come up with a response, or even get back to my feet, even with their help.

The next several moments were a blur, and I found myself on the couch; I don't know if I got to my feet and walked back or if I was carried. I may have even blacked out at some point. Hopper and Nancy were tending to my wound and talking, but I still couldn't make out what they were saying.

“Will,” I mumbled repeatedly, prompting El to come to my side.

“Will is alive,” she said softly to me, squeezing my hand. “Bad men have him. I will find him and bring him home safe.” All I could do was nod. I didn't know how, but I knew that she'd find him. Even in the most hopeless situations, when she was with me, I knew that all was not lost. Just like her grand return after her 353 day absence, I somehow knew that everything was going to be okay for all of us, even in this seemingly hopeless situation.

It was a good thing that she was there to calm me down because I don't think there was another person alive that could do it, and I was certainly no good to Will in that state. I drifted to sleep briefly, but was awakened by El's voice.

She had a television running with static, and a blindfold on. When I opened my eyes, I saw her in that position and heard what she was saying, it was clear to me that she was talking to Will. I didn't know exactly where he was, but I knew that if he were in trouble, she could help him, even if she wasn't close by. He had been through a lot, but he had proven how tough and brave he was, and I knew she could make him see that.

Unfortunately, the connection was cut off early, and she didn't get the chance to say everything she wanted to say to him, but she knew where he was and how we could get to him. The answer was obvious, but we didn't see it before. He was being held at Hawkins Lab, but he was alive, and we were coming for him as fast as we could.


	16. My Friend, Will Byers, Is Not A Victim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will has been captured by Dr. Brenner! Can the gang get to him before something terrible happens?

Convincing the others to let me come along was no simple task, but there was no chance that I wasn't going with them, and after promising that I wouldn't put myself in any danger, they relented. Hopper's car was packed, even with extra room, it was hard to fit him, Mrs. Byers, Jonathan, Dustin, Lucas, and El, but we didn't care. All that mattered was getting to him in time.

Up until that point, I had never been in any vehicle that was moving as fast as it was. I guess I never thought about how fast emergency vehicles drive when responded to a crisis. It almost felt like a roller coaster, and with us all packed in tightly, it was not a pleasant experience, but I didn't care as long as it brought us to Will.

We reached our destination in record time, but even so, it felt like the trip was a lot longer than it was. I knew that every second counted, and the more time we took, the lesser his chances were of surviving. When we got there, we saw lights on and heard some noises. None of us could distinguish what the noises were, but it didn't matter because we were getting in there one way or another.

As crazy as Hopper was at times, he was also smart and resourceful. He held onto the key cards that he stole from the guards a year ago, and they still worked to get us inside. The noises only got louder as we got inside, and we ran as hard as we could towards them. We didn't know what to expect, but we showed no fear. Maybe it was our concern for Will, adrenaline, or a mixture, but there was no hesitation.

As fast as we ran to the scene, we did not get there until it was already over. The noises had stopped, and we feared for the worst. El remembered the place well enough to lead us to where Will was, and with her help, we found him.

To our surprise, he was no longer in restraints like he was when El spoke to him, and he wasn't dead or unconscious. In fact, his injuries didn't look nearly as bad as we expected them to be, and the room was littered with creatures from the Upside Down, but none of them were moving; he had killed them all. He didn't even notice our arrival, and was on top of the man we once thought had been dead, Dr. Brenner, and he was punching his face repeatedly. The evil doctor, however, was no longer fighting back, and had lost consciousness.

Hopper motioned for us all to stay back while he pulled Will off of him.

“Don't touch me!” Will screamed, unaware that Hopper was the one pulling him back. From looking at his eyes, I could tell that he was so caught up in the moment that he probably thought Hopper was one of the scientists trying to hurt him.

As he saw Hopper's face and all of us, he broke down in his arms. At the time, I wasn't totally sure what caused the breakdown, but I would later learn that it was the result of his capture, the fights he just went through, and most of all, the fact that if we had not gotten there when we did, he probably would have ended up killing Dr. Brenner. As much as we all hated the his guts for what he did to El, Will, and who knows how many other children, he didn't want to kill him. It's never been in Will's nature to want to hurt people, and he would have a lot of trouble dealing with the fact that he killed somebody on his conscience, as much as he deserved it.

Hopper had to stay at the lab to report the crime that took place and arrest and process Dr. Brenner. He assured us that, considering the circumstances, Will would not be charged, and he was always good at that kind of thing, so there was nothing to worry about in that respect.

Mrs. Byers drove us all back home, but I convinced her to let me stay the night, and it was an easy sell since Will was all for it. We mostly rode home in silence, and I got to sit next to Will with El on the other side. This was a time where silence spoke a lot louder than words. Our mere presence allowed him to calm down. Our body language told him that we were both there for him, and that was exactly what he needed at the time.

After dropping off Dustin and Lucas and saying our goodbyes, Joyce stopped off at Hopper's cabin for El. We all exited the vehicle. Will wanted to speak with El before she left, and I had no problem with it at all.

I was happy to see them so close, and I could tell how much they bonded, as if they were siblings, and I knew that he never would do anything to hurt me, which is something I wished I had learned earlier, before I made an ass of myself and treated him horribly. I knew that he had forgiven me, but I had a lot more trouble forgiving myself.

I still don't know what I did to deserve such an amazing best friend, and I felt that way before he developed any powers. Even though he didn't look like it, he was very strong, tough, and brave, yet so kind and giving. I would never admit it, but I was a little bit jealous of him for that. I try to be nice and selfless, like he is, but I have been a real jerk to a lot of people, especially my family, and I have put my friends down more than I care to admit. Perhaps he sees through that exterior in me, and that's why he's remained friends with me for so long. El is the same way, seeing my good qualities and ignoring the bad ones.

As Will headed back towards the car, he had a long, meaningful hug with El. Unlike last time, I was happy to see it. As they broke apart, I sneaked a quick kiss to El, making her smile before going back to the car. At this point, Will and I talked like we used to. I could hear the newfound confidence in his voice, but even so, he acted as if what he did was no big deal, which is exactly how I would have expected him to respond.

When we got back to his house, it wasn't long until we were both asleep. Usually, when we have sleepovers at each other's house, sleep is scarce because even if we do try to get to sleep, we can't stop giggling and chatting. We had both managed to stay awake for so long due to adrenaline, but it had since worn off, and we were wiped out.

The next day was eventful, but in a good way. We met with the party and played a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, played at the arcade, and just spent time hanging out together. It was nice finally having time to just relax and have fun.

I could tell that he was still bothered by the possibility of being a murderer, but when I reminded him of all the people he saved, his smile was as big and as genuine as I had ever seen. He has certainly been through a lot, like we all have, but I knew that he was optimistic about the future, and happy with who he is and where he is. I know he felt like a victim because of what happened to him, but now, that couldn't be farther from the truth. My friend, Will Byers, is not a victim.

The End


End file.
